25 Inviting Screened Porch and Deck Ideas

I know it may seem like madness to put an addition on a new construction home, but the heart wants what it wants, and this heart wanted a screened porch and it was cost prohibitive to go through our home builder so here we are. We were so decision fatigued during the design and building process of our house (plus, we ran into crazy issues with the yard, oh my word) so I’m extremely glad we waited and went with a trusted porch and deck builder instead. It also gave us time to scout around and find what we really wanted in terms of porch design.

When we started the process, I scouted out images of what we wanted in an outdoor living area that we hope will be blissfully bug-free. First and foremost, we want both a screened porch for eating and lounging plus a deck for grilling and growing my herb garden off of the kitchen. This photo shows a typical porch/ deck combo with composite decking; ours is configured differently but this is the gist of what we’re going for:

Ahhhhh, curtains! We’re installing windows that go from vinyl to screens to make it a 3 season room, so I’m not as scared of using white curtains than I would be if it was just screens. I’m planning to use breezy curtains to provide some privacy and shade during especially sunny hours.

This is what the three-season windows look like when installed. I believe once the screens are open they’ll look more open. The railing is a code issue, unfortunately you need to have that railing to stay up to code which messes with the aesthetic a bit but safety first, of course.

We miss our deck in Pennsylvania something fierce; just looking at photos is a jab in the heart. We hope our new porch and deck will make us feel a little better about our terrible backyard situation and help screen the builder’s transgressions in the lot behind us. Oh how I miss this view, that deck, and those TREES.

The dreaming phase is over and we’re knee-deep in construction. 🙂 I’ll share the final plans and our current progress next week, or get sneak peeks over on my Instagram stories!

Meet Carrie Higgins

Dreamer, thinker, + lemon squeezer; you'll usually find me clutching a mug of coffee, glue gun, fandeck of paint colors, and a child at any given time. This mom of two (and wife to one) loves to share freshly squeezed ideas for home and family. Join the adventure as we learn most lemons can indeed become lemonade-- with generous amounts of sweetness, perspective, and love.

Hey there, welcome! I'm Carrie-- a dreamer, overthinker, + lemon squeezer, making it my mission to share fresh ideas for home and family. You'll usually find me clutching a mug of coffee, glue gun, fandeck of paint colors, and a child at any given time. Join the adventure as we learn most lemons can indeed become lemonade-- with generous amounts of sweetness, perspective, and love.